Michelle Ross, Carmel Catholic High School

Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune

Yellow and red wires, high-speed graphics and sound cards and fans that glow blue fill the belly of the computer Michelle Ross built when she was 15.The hardest decision, she said, was choosing the parts she wanted. After that, "it wasn't that hard to put together, physically," said Ross, now 18.When her family's computer crunched its last data and died, Ross' dad assigned the then-freshman in high school to find a new one -- but there was a catch. Her budget was $1,000, which wasn't going to cover everything on her wish list.So Ross looked into how much it would cost to buy everything she wanted in separate parts: $990.Ross bargain hunted for parts online and traveled hours to catch good deals, she said.Using instructions on the Internet, and with a little help from her dad, Ross built a new superdesktop in her family's living room. After that, she caught the programming bug."I started looking at all kinds of software," Ross said. "I started looking at how they were created, and it really interested me."This fall, Ross plans to study computer science at the University of Chicago. She also plays the piano, studies Japanese language and culture (aspiring to live in Japan someday) and tutors other students in subjects ranging from geometry to Spanish.Her guidance counselor at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Christine Hartnett, said Ross "is brilliant" -- with an ACT score of 35 and a 2400 on the SAT -- "yet unassuming."She has always expressed a willingness to help others, Hartnett said."She's just really a lot of fun," Hartnett said. "She's always smiling when she walks into my office."-- Ellen Jean Hirst

Yellow and red wires, high-speed graphics and sound cards and fans that glow blue fill the belly of the computer Michelle Ross built when she was 15.The hardest decision, she said, was choosing the parts she wanted. After that, "it wasn't that hard to put together, physically," said Ross, now 18.When her family's computer crunched its last data and died, Ross' dad assigned the then-freshman in high school to find a new one -- but there was a catch. Her budget was $1,000, which wasn't going to cover everything on her wish list.So Ross looked into how much it would cost to buy everything she wanted in separate parts: $990.Ross bargain hunted for parts online and traveled hours to catch good deals, she said.Using instructions on the Internet, and with a little help from her dad, Ross built a new superdesktop in her family's living room. After that, she caught the programming bug."I started looking at all kinds of software," Ross said. "I started looking at how they were created, and it really interested me."This fall, Ross plans to study computer science at the University of Chicago. She also plays the piano, studies Japanese language and culture (aspiring to live in Japan someday) and tutors other students in subjects ranging from geometry to Spanish.Her guidance counselor at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Christine Hartnett, said Ross "is brilliant" -- with an ACT score of 35 and a 2400 on the SAT -- "yet unassuming."She has always expressed a willingness to help others, Hartnett said."She's just really a lot of fun," Hartnett said. "She's always smiling when she walks into my office."-- Ellen Jean Hirst (Chris Walker, Chicago Tribune)

Yellow and red wires, high-speed graphics and sound cards and fans that glow blue fill the belly of the computer Michelle Ross built when she was 15.The hardest decision, she said, was choosing the parts she wanted. After that, "it wasn't that hard to put together, physically," said Ross, now 18.When her family's computer crunched its last data and died, Ross' dad assigned the then-freshman in high school to find a new one -- but there was a catch. Her budget was $1,000, which wasn't going to cover everything on her wish list.So Ross looked into how much it would cost to buy everything she wanted in separate parts: $990.Ross bargain hunted for parts online and traveled hours to catch good deals, she said.Using instructions on the Internet, and with a little help from her dad, Ross built a new superdesktop in her family's living room. After that, she caught the programming bug."I started looking at all kinds of software," Ross said. "I started looking at how they were created, and it really interested me."This fall, Ross plans to study computer science at the University of Chicago. She also plays the piano, studies Japanese language and culture (aspiring to live in Japan someday) and tutors other students in subjects ranging from geometry to Spanish.Her guidance counselor at Carmel Catholic High School in Mundelein, Christine Hartnett, said Ross "is brilliant" -- with an ACT score of 35 and a 2400 on the SAT -- "yet unassuming."She has always expressed a willingness to help others, Hartnett said."She's just really a lot of fun," Hartnett said. "She's always smiling when she walks into my office."-- Ellen Jean Hirst